Renal nutritionists recommend dietary changes to optimize liver function in patients with kidney disease or complications. They assess dietary intake, propose changes, monitor progress, and maintain patient records. They have a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition and work in healthcare facilities or private practices. They also need excellent interpersonal skills to build rapport with patients.
A kidney nutritionist’s job is to treat people suffering from kidney disease or other kidney complications. Basically, this work revolves around recommending dietary changes to patients that are intended to optimize liver function. These individuals are usually employed by health care facilities or operate private practices. Most of these nutritionists have at least a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition, and private practice owners are usually licensed. Common responsibilities of a renal nutritionist include consulting with patients, assessing patients’ dietary intake, proposing dietary changes, monitoring progress, and maintaining patient records.
Generally, the first step in each patient’s treatment involves an initial consultation with a renal nutritionist. During this time, he will meet with a patient to discuss matters such as the extent of kidney complications, current diet and exercise habits. Before making suggestions, it is necessary for a renal dietitian to obtain as much information as possible and have a thorough understanding of a patient’s health habits. Due to the large degree of patient interaction in this job, it is helpful to have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to build rapport with a variety of patients.
After obtaining some background information, a renal dietitian will assess a patient’s dietary intake. For example, he might conclude that a patient is consuming too many processed foods and not enough vegetables. In addition, he may conclude that a patient is consuming too much food during meals or not getting an adequate amount of exercise.
After he makes an assessment, the renal dietitian will usually propose certain dietary changes for a patient. Since his goal is to improve kidney function, he often suggests foods that contain potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. In addition, he may recommend that a patient begin taking certain vitamins to benefit the liver. Sometimes he also provides the patient with educational materials on how to treat kidney disease.
Along with this, a renal dietitian usually monitors the patient’s progress while implementing dietary changes. This might involve meeting with a patient once a week or two to discuss how the patient is feeling. If progress is favorable, a renal dietitian will likely stick with the patient’s current diet. If not, he can suggest minor changes.
Additionally, an individual in this position will be responsible for maintaining patient records. For example, he usually documents each patient’s name, contact information, past health records, dietary changes, and results. This information can be useful for future reference and help improve the quality of patient care.
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